Does Spelling Matter?

Simon Horobin

Provides an up-to-date narrative of the history of English spelling, from the origins of the Roman alphabet to spelling in the electronic age

Examines the role of spelling in English society

Engages with current debates about the future of English spelling and the issues concerning the use of spelling in email, text-messaging, and Twitter

Does Spelling Matter?

Simon Horobin

Description

This book narrates the history of English spelling from the Anglo-Saxons to the present-day, charting the various changes that have taken place and the impact these have had on the way we spell today. While good spelling is seen as socially and educationally desirable, many people struggle to spell common words like accommodate, occurrence, dependent. Is it our spelling system that is to blame, and should we therefore reform English spelling to make it easier to learn? Or are such calls for change further evidence of the dumbing-down of our educational standards, also witnessed by the tolerance of poor spelling in text-messaging and email? This book evaluates such views by considering previous attempts to reform the spelling of English and other languages, while also looking critically at claims that the electronic age heralds the demise of correct spelling.

Simon Horobin

Table of Contents

Does Spelling Matter?

Simon Horobin

Author Information

Simon Horobin, Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford

Simon Horobin is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. He has written extensively on the history of the English Language and is the author of An Introduction to Middle English and Chaucer's Language.

Does Spelling Matter?

Simon Horobin

Reviews and Awards

"... you're keen to explore the history of English spelling in greater depth? Plunge into this book, then! The Index is divided into two types: word and subject. This helps the book become a handdy reference source after first reading. Highly recommended." - Catherine Petherick, SfEP Magazine

"This book is a sane, comprehensive and authoritative lesson in why we spell the way we do and why, in order to preserve the richness, subtlety and history of our language, it is right that we keep doing so." - Simon Heffer, New Statesman

Does Spelling Matter?

Simon Horobin

From Our Blog

Now that Noughth Week has come to an end and the university Full Term is upon us, I thought it might be an appropriate time to investigate the arcane world of Oxford jargon — the University of Oxford, that is. New students, or freshers, do not arrive in Oxford but come up; at the end of term they go down (irrespective of where they live).

By Simon Horobin The recent decision by Devon County Council to drop the apostrophe from its road signs was met with dismay and anger by those concerned about the preservation of linguistic standards. Lucy Mangan, writing in The Guardian, branded it an 'Apostrophe Catastrophe' which 'captures in microcosm the kind of thinking that pervades our government, our institutions, our times', drawing parallels with the government's handling of the banking crisis, binge-drinking and sexual assault. Similar prophecies of doom followed the decision by the bookseller Waterstones to drop the apostrophe from its shop names.

By Simon Horobin As part of his agenda to improve primary school education, Michael Gove plans to invest more teaching time in driving up standards of spelling; his proposals include a list of 162 words which all eleven-year old children will be expected to spell correctly. As his critics were quick to point out, Gove's belief in the importance of accurate spelling was somewhat undermined by a number of misspellings in the White Paper itself; Tristram Hunt gleefully suggested that Gove, 'of all people,' should be able to spell bureaucracy.